History

As Canada's third-oldest centre for agricultural academics and research, the Agricultural Campus has seen a lot of development and growth over the years. This timeline outlines some of the highlights of the campus's evolution.

1888
Four lots of land, totalling 104.5 acres, bought from Rev. Dr. McCulloch, Charles P. Blanchard, Lucius Crowe and Edward P. Blanchard. This land went from the west end of the present Bible Hill Recreation field to the east to the present Dairy Building, south to the Salmon River and north to College Road.

1892
First building built on the Agricultural Campus.

1893
Four and a half acres were purchased west of the 1888 purchase. The Judging Pavilion (rear parking lot of Cumming Hall), an artesian well, and the principal's house (built 1909; present site of Jenkins Hall) were built on this land.

1894
Row of ornamental trees which had been previously started along the present College Road extended. These trees were presented by Col. William Blair, Superintendent, Experimental Farm, Nappan, N.S., at no cost.

1895
By this time there was 0.5 acres of vegetable garden and a small orchard which included apples, pears, plums and cherries.

1898
First building built on campus lost by fire on March 31,1898. It was located where the Bible Hill Elementary School was located and is now the unpaved parking lot behind the paved parking lot of Chapman House.

1905
The Nova Scotia College of Agriculture was created by combining the provincial farm, the School of Agriculture, and the School of Horticulture.

Melville Cumming was the first principal.

1909
Present Dairy Building was built.

1912
Horse barn built (present site of heating plant).

1913
Horticulture building (now the Collins Building), small header house and greenhouse built. The fertilizer used by the horticulture section was stored and mixed in the basement of the header house until the 1960s.

Plumdale Farm, a 30-acre plot east of the university south of College Road purchased to be used for horticulture work. It is the present site of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources office and Faculty of Agriculture Plant Science department field work.

Helen Woodroffe becomes the first female to graduate from the college.

1915
The Science Building was built. First two floors used for chemistry, entomology, biology. Third floor was for the Women's Institute office plus a large 300 seat auditorium.

1925
The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources organized 1925-1929, which led to the passing of the "Agricultural Act" to meet the demands of the agriculture industry.

1926
First extension service under the Department of Agriculture established.

1928
Dr. Loran DeWolfe begins a project to beautify the school grounds using ornamental shrubs through his work with the Rural Science Program and the Nova Scotia Department of Education.

1937
Mr. C. M. Collins appointed provincial horticulturist and professor of horticulture 1937-1962. He is also made acting director of extension when Dr. W. A. Longley became ill and was unable to finish out the 1936-37 term.

1939
Present greenhouse by the Collins Building was erected to replace the one built in 1913.

1942
Four acres were purchased from the McCulloch property west of the present university campus in hopes of building a dormitory and an athletic field.

1944
Work on a Rural Beautification Project begins in an effort to get the surrounding communities interested in some landscape work in their areas. This was a step up from the school grounds beautification project started in 1928.

1946
Science building burns down on June 15, 1946. Programs and projects run in the science building moved to the nurses quarters at Camp Debert 10 miles away where a classroom was made with a small greenhouse attached. Students were housed in the camp's Nurses' residence.

1947
C. Prescott Blanchard's 20 acre farmstead, directly opposite the university, between College Road and Pictou Road purchased. New recreation field built on the west side; Soccer and football teams had to use Truro's TAAC grounds before that. Parts of the farm put in pasture and the Department of Transport Weather Station moved from Debert to Vimy Road, Bible Hill. Weather station now used by the Plant Science Department.

1952
Construction started on the Harlow Institute to replace the science building that burned down in 1946.

1953
The Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Marketing Engineering Building finished.

1953
Horticulture building expansion started with the addition of a classroom, food processing lab built, more basement storage areas and two storage rooms plus a "minus zero" storage.

1955
First annual meeting of the garden clubs and horticultural societies built out of the Rural Beautification Project.

1957
Trueman House built on the McCulloch property along the Salmon River bank.

1960s
Houses on either side of DeWolfe House removed and the site on the east side made into a parking lot.

Building on corner of Vimy Road and College Road used as International House. Several buildings and properties surrounding the campus are purchased. Some of the resulting land shared between Bible Hill Fire Department and Plant Science.

Atlantic mandate for agricultural education was forged and the agreements with the other Atlantic provinces were signed.

1960
Plans for Cox Institute of Agricultural Technology started.

1962
This was the last year the Horticulture and Biology Services sold plants to the Rural Beautification Project.

The campus parking lots and roadways were paved.

Greenhouse attached to the header house was updated with a new heat system, bar caps, etc.

1964
Dr. Bill Jenkins takes over as principal.

The road from Pictou Road to College Road was reconstructed to meet the entrance way to Cumming Hall.

Planning for construction of two new residences to form a "U" shape with Trueman House started.

1967
Chapman Residence built. When the basement was dug for Chapman House, the soil and sod trucked across College Road and used to extend the soccer field to regulation size.

1968
Wire fences erected around soccer field.

1970
Fraser House built.

1972
Hancock Veterinary Building built.

Plywood hockey rink moved to the Apiculture yard.

1974
Landscape nursery turned into Alumni Gardens.

1977
Langille Athletic Centre opened.

1979
Jenkins Hall opened.

1984MacRae library opened.

1987
Animal Science Building opened. Roger Bacon, the Minister of Agriculture, broke ground for this building by ploughing a furrow with a team of horses. He later placed the stone for the completion of this building.

1995
Humanities Department takes over the horticulture foreman's house which was built in the 1930s.

2001
Animal Science Building expanded to include the Aquaculture and Continuing Education sections.

2004
Animal Science Building renamed Haley Institute of Animal Science and Aquaculture after former principal and Deputy Minister or Agriculture, Les Haley.

2005
Sod-turning for the Atlantic Canadian Centre for Poultry Research.

2007
Atlantic Canadian Centre for Poultry Research opens.

First season for the campus Community Garden.

2008
2008-2013 Strategic Plan launched.

2009
Chute Animal Nutrition Centre opens.

New Greenhouse opens and two existing greenhouses are renovated.

The campus Community Garden doubles in size (from 20-40 plots).

2010
Official ground breaking for the Atlantic Centre for Agricultural Innovation, the first building on campus to be built to LEED Silver standards.

Construction begins on the TREEhouse project.

2011
First season for the Chef's Garden, a two-acre, on-site organic demonstration farm that provides seasonal and storage crops for on-campus dining.

2012
On June 1, 2012, the Government of Nova Scotia, Department of Agriculture, and Dalhousie University confirmed the agreement to merge Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) with Dalhousie. The incoming class of 2012 will be welcomed as Dalhousie students.